The The Baccalaureate School for Global EducationBaccalaureate School for Global Education 34-12 36th Avenue, Astoria, NY 11106

Phone 718-361-5275 Fax 718-361-5395 Website www.bsge.org

Kelly J . Johnson, Principal

MANDATORY SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT

Incoming 7th grade students June 2014 Dear students and families, We look forward to welcoming you to the BSGE community in September. As I know you will soon see, we have a wonderful time working and playing together. It is well documented in the research* that summer is a time when gains made during the school year can be lost. In order to ensure that you come to school ready to work towards and achieve the high academic expectations we have for you, we want to give you a short reading assignment for the summer. The assignment is mandatory and will be used in class during the first week of school. Please do not save it for August! 1. Read one book from each column. 2. For each of the two required books, complete a reading response (examples on the back of this sheet). To do a reading response, choose a passage that stands out to you (for any reason). Then explain, in your own words, what the quotes make you think about. If you look carefully at the examples and do your best, you will probably get it right. The six books are easily available in most libraries and bookstores. We encourage you to read more than the minimum, from the list or any other books. Please note that some of these titles may contain mature content. To get more information about each title please visit CommonSenseMedia.org or Amazon.com. 3. Complete the attached science activity titled, “The Great Coin Experiment.” Read one Fiction book from the column below: Read one book of Non-fiction from the column below: The Running Dream, by Wendelin Van Draanen Jessica thinks her life is over when she loses a leg in a car accident. She's not comforted by the news that she'll be able to walk with the help of a prosthetic leg. Who cares about walking when you live to run? The Perks of Being a Wallflower, by Stephen Chbosky A story about what it’s like to travel that strange course through the uncharted territory of high school. The world of first dates, family dramas, and new friends. Of those wild and poignant roller-coaster days known as growing up. Struck by Lightning by Chris Colfer This story follows an outcast high school senior Carson Phillips who blackmails the most popular students in his school into contributing to his literary journal to bolster his college application; his goal in life is to get into Northwestern and eventually become the editor of The New Yorker. All reviews excerpted from www.goodreads.com or www.amazon.com

The Omnivore's Dilemma for Kids: The Secrets Behind What You Eat, by Michael Pollan. There is also an adult version of this book; we want you to read the kid’s edition. “What’s for dinner?” seemed like a simple question—until journalist and supermarket detective Michael Pollan delved behind the scenes. The Glass Castle: A Memoir, by Jeannette Walls. Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms. Chinese Cinderella by Adeline Yen Mah A riveting memoir of a girl’s painful coming-of-age in a wealthy Chinese family during the 1940s. Adeline Yen Mah returns to her roots to tell the story of her painful childhood and her ultimate triumph and courage in the face of despair.

I wish you an enjoyable summer and look forward to working with you in September. Kelly J. Johnson * “Active Summer, Active Minds: Educators Seek Ways to Prevent Learning Losses During Vacation” Washington Post, 15 June 2009. “2009 New York Statewide Summer Reading Program: Research / Promoting Literacy” http://www.nysl.nysed.gov/libdev/summer/research.htm. Johns Hopkins University Center for Summer Learning, www.summerlearning.org/

Directions:    

• Write  10  responses  for  each  book.  • Please  type  up  your  responses.      • Responses  should  be  between  200  and  300  words  each  (not  including  the  passage  you  copied  

down).  • You  can  either  write  the  10  responses  as  you  read  or  mark  off  the  spots  you  would  like  to  

respond  to  as  you  read  and  then  write  your  responses  after  you're  done  with  the  book.      Step  1:  Copy  down  a  passage  from  the  text  that  you  find  significant  or  striking,  or  that  puzzles  you,  

or  that  makes  you  think  of  interesting  connections,  or  makes  you  pause  for  some  other  reason.    Write  

the  page  number.      A  passage  can  be  any  part  of  the  text.    Don't  copy  down  more  than  a  sentence  or  

two.  

   Step  2:  Write  a  response  to  the  passage.    If  it  is  complex,  you  should  first  paraphrase  it  (restate  or  

explain  in  your  own  words).    Then  you  can  explain  why  it  is  interesting,  your  observations,  what  

connections  you  make,  what  questions  you  have,  whether  you  agree  or  not  and  why.    You  don't,  and  

shouldn't,  do  all  of  these.    Try  to  focus  on  one  or  two  ideas  in  depth  and  discuss  your  thoughts.    The  

purpose  of  a  reading  response  is  to  "talk  with  the  text"  and  to  develop  your  own  ideas  about  it.  

Example: "Do  you  sometimes  wish  you  were  grown  up?"  (Funke  53).    

In the text, Prosper, a boy who had ran away from his aunt and uncle, asks his friend, Riccio, if

he wished that he were grown up. I believe that Prosper has a desire to grow up because of the freedom

adulthood provides. He's tired of life in hiding and wants to be free to do what he wants without anyone

being suspicious. Riccio think that the idea of being an adult is ridiculous. He believes that life as a child

is much more fun. In his eyes, adults don't know what it's like to have fun because they eventually forget

about their childhood as they grown up. Prosper goes along with what Riccio says, but in his mind, he

still longs for the freedom adulthood would grant him.

I do sometimes wish I were grown up. Kids have limitations that really drive me up the wall, like

not being able to "talk back" to parents when you need to prove yourself innocent, or the fact that a lot of

adults don't trust kids. In many cases, adults don't take a child's opinion into mind when making a

choice. To me, being an adult means a lot more freedom in life. You get to do and see more things, go to

different places, and not have anyone boss you around like a kid. But I also do take in mind that the

older you get, the more responsibilities you have. And also, as you grow up, people expect a lot more from

you than they did before. My parents have me work a lot harder and expect higher things from me than

when I was younger. My goals became a lot more difficult throughout the years and they will continue to

become harder for me to reach. Sometimes I wish I was just a carefree toddler, skipping about. Being an

adult can be great but there are tradeoffs too. You only get to be a kid once; you can never truly go back

to it once you've grown up.

Rubric for Summer Reading Journal Responses Criteria Excellent

7-6 Good 5-4

Developing 3-2

No credit 1

Meaning: The student shows an accurate understanding of the books by selecting and describing relevant pieces of text.

Student shows a thorough understanding of the books by skillfully selecting and describing significant and relevant ideas and information

Student shows a general understanding of the books by selecting and describing several relevant ideas and information

Work shows a limited understanding of the story by selecting and describing very few ideas that may not be relevant

Work demonstrates poor understanding of the text OR Assignment not submitted

Connections and reflection: The student makes meaningful connections between the books, and personal reactions.

In depth connections, clearly and insightfully explained

Some good connections, some explanations are brief

Student attempts to make connections with limited effectiveness

Few basic connections, minimal explanations OR Assignment not submitted

Approaches to Learning: The student followed all directions for the assignment and the effort put into the work

Summer assignment is complete, thorough and on time

Summer assignment is missing no more than two major parts.

Summer assignment is missing more than two parts

Summer assignment is poorly done OR Assignment not submitted

Rubric Adapted from Upper Canada District School Board Double-Entry Journal Rubric

Name BSGE Grade 7 Summer Assignment Due: First Day of School in Advisory

The Great Coin Experiment Task: Perform a controlled experiment testing the number of drops of water that can fit onto one side of a coin. Materials:

¨ An eye-dropper (can be found at most pharmacies) ¨ 1 Dime ¨ 1 Penny ¨ 1 Nickel ¨ 1 Quarter ¨ Ruler with millimeters ¨ 100 mL of water ¨ Paper towels or napkins

Hypothesis: Before conducting the experiment you are going to make an educated guess as to how many drops of water can fit on one side of a dime before any water runs over the edge of the coin. Please make your guess in the space below and explain in detail any scientific or mathematical reasoning that you used in order to construct your hypothesis. Hypothesis: Measurements: Record the measure of each coin as indicated in Table #1. Show all necessary work and calculations in the space beneath Table #1. Round to the nearest whole unit. Table #1 Type Of Coin Radius (mm) Diameter (mm) Circumference (mm) Area (mm2)

Dime

Penny

Nickel

Quarter

Calculations: Procedure: Follow the steps below to complete the experiment. PART A.

1. Rinse a dime using tap water and dry the coin completely. 2. Place the dime on a sheet of paper towel to avoid making a mess. 3. Hold an eye dropper 1 cm away from the coin and place drops of water on the dime (one at a time)

until any amount of water runs over the edge of the coin. 4. Record the number of drops for that trial on a scrap sheet of paper. 5. Repeat steps 1-4 two more times for a total of three trials. Calculate and record the average of all

three trials on a scrap sheet of paper. Predictions: Based on your observations and the data in Table #1, how many drops of water do you expect to fit on each of the penny, nickel, and quarter? Explain the measurements that were most beneficial to making your prediction. Predictions: Procedure: After completing the predictions section please continue following the procedure for part B. PART B.

1. Obtain a penny, nickel, and quarter. 2. Rinse the penny using tap water and dry the coin completely. 3. Place the penny on a sheet of paper towel to avoid making a mess. 4. Hold an eye dropper 1cm away from the coin and place drops of water on the penny (one at a time)

until any amount of water runs over the edge of the coin. 5. Record the number of drops for that trial on a scrap sheet of paper. 6. Repeat steps 1-4 two more times for a total of three trials. Calculate and record the average of all

five trials on a scrap sheet of paper. 7. Repeat steps 2-6 with both the nickel and the quarter. This will give you a total of 12 trials (three per

coin) and four averages (one for each coin). Data Display: PART A – Table #2: Using a ruler and a pencil please organize your results for each of the four coins into a data table. Please use the space allotted for Table #2 on the attached sheet of paper to construct your table. Your table should include all 12 trials along with the average for each type of coin. Fit all of the data into one neat and legible table.

PART B – Graph #1: Using a ruler, a pencil, and the attached sheet of paper please construct a bar graph of all of the information contained in Table #2. This should include all 12 trials and the averages for each coin. PART C – Graph #2: Using a ruler, a pencil, and the attached sheet of graph paper please construct a scatterplot comparing the area of a coin and the number of drops. This should include all 12 trials and the averages for each coin. Table #2 Graph #1

Num

ber o

f Dro

ps

0

Graph #2

Num

ber o

f Dro

ps

0 700 Area (mm2)

Conclusion Questions: Answer each question carefully using complete sentences. Your responses to these questions should be typed and attached to this document. 1. Why did we perform more than one trial? What benefits are there to repeated trials? 2. Determine the percent-error for each coin using the following formula: the absolute value of the amount of error

(difference between prediction and actual) divided by the actual number of drops. Convert your decimal to a percent rounded to the nearest thousandth. How close were your predictions and actual outcomes?

COIN FORMULA SUBSTITUTION PERCENT-ERROR

Dime: | Prediction – Actual |

=

= Actual

Penny: | Prediction – Actual |

=

= Actual

Nickel: | Prediction – Actual |

=

= Actual

Quarter: | Prediction – Actual |

=

= Actual

3. Based on the data in Graph 2, explain the relationship between the area and the number of drops of water that can

fit on the coin. 4. The diameter of a fifty-cent piece is about 1.5 times that of a nickel. How many drops of water do you predict to

fit on this coin? Explain that necessary calculations and reasoning. 5. Did it matter whether or not you used the heads or tails side of the coin when conducting your experiment? What

about a recently-minted coin compared to a much older coin? Would this have any effect on the amount of water that can fit on the coin? Explain.

6. List three other conditions that may affect the number of drops of water that can fit on the coin. Explain your reasoning.

7. When your water reached the edge of the coin, extra drops did not immediately force the water to spill; rather it built-up into a small dome. Research and explain why this occurs.